Remember Fukushima?

[shiny!]

Re: Remember Fukushima?

I have just sent a direct message to the Japan Prime Ministers residence http://www.kantei.go.jp/foreign/index-e.html to ask him to talk to me to coordinate an international team to move the fuel rods to safety. I will keep you all posted.

I'm impressed- and curious as to what kind of answer you get.

On this side of the pond if I write to the president with a suggestion, all I get is a form letter in return.

[Polish_Silver]

moving the fuel rods--no problemo?

Doing nothing is thus not an option. The very best people to address this are not scientists, but mechanical engineers. This is very simply a movement problem. Each fuel rod is a single item, so what is needed is a quick method to move them one by one.

What seems to have occurred is that the people on the ground have frozen

I agree completely on that. Given the problems solved in oil exploration and extraction, for example, this is just not that complicated. But we have such level of taboo and paranoia about radiation, that the system is paralyzed. Action draws attention to the problem--very bad for elected officials. Ignoring the problem is the best way to get re-elected.

The Soviet Union, as backward as it was, did not have this problem. An oil exploration engineer told me that if they had an out of control oil well, like BP deepwater Horizon, they would just blow off a nuke to seal up the hole!

The idea of "shutting down nuclear" is also not very viable. A recent post an automatic earth went over some of the problems Germany is facing:
1) the nuclear phase out has been extedended to 2036, because of unforeseen costs and delays in the renewable sources.
2) They are paying through the nose for the renewable energy, and also burning more fossil fuels to make up for the loss of nuclear power.

Japan is running a trade deficit due to the lack of nuclear. Meanwhile, oil reserves keep depeleting. So shove that up your anti-nuclear butt!

[Polish_Silver]

Call in the Incas !

The very best people to address this are not scientists, but mechanical engineers. This is very simply a movement problem. Each fuel rod is a single item, so what is needed is a quick method to move them one by one.

I just finished reading a book about Peru. The Incas built some of the most amazing structures in the pre-modern world. Their roads and water works are still in use. The solstice sunrise still lands on the polished stones in the temple interior, just like in the Indiana Jones movie. Their stone walls, without mortar, withstand earthquakes that bring down the newer Spanish walls.

Well, we cannot even clean up a nuke plant. Shame, Shame!

Our leadership sucks compared to theirs!

[Polish_Silver]

Logistics of moving the rods

Just one aspect of the difficulty: The rods over heat if not cooled by water.

That means the crane has a certain maximum time to pick the rod up and drop into the
next cooling pool.


Alternatively, the rod could be cooled while being moved, perhaps by a fire hose which constantly pours water over it. If we can refuel bombers in mid air, why can't we cool a slowly moving fuel rod?

Another idea: Build a big ramp next to the fuel rod building. The ramp has a water slide on it's surface. Once you get the rod onto the ramp, it slides down, being continuously cooled by the water.

[doom&gloom]

Re: Logistics of moving the rods

does a single rod need to be cooled, or just a group of them? I don't know the answer but I think you can move them one at a time without cooling them, or I would fail to see how they could even be initially manufactured.

[Polish_Silver]

Re: Logistics of moving the rods

does a single rod need to be cooled, or just a group of them? I don't know the answer but I think you can move them one at a time without cooling them, or I would fail to see how they could even be initially manufactured.

Good question. Each rod must be cooled. When manufactured, the rods are pure fuel, and only react in the presence of the other rods. The decay rate is very slow for pure fuel.

The spent rod is different beast. It has a menagerie of isotopes, some of which decay very quickly releasing lots of heat.
The rods could actually be used to heat buildings or green houses in the winter time, as proposed by James Lovelock. We are not doing that because we are stupid, and perhaps deserve to be wiped out.